Skip - Part 9

Skip – Part 9

Love was sweet. Life beyond love was still shaky. I could not seem to put on any weight. My appetite was poor. I could cook up a storm, but I picked at my food. The cancer lived within me still. It was dying, for sure, but not gone. From first discovery, it was now nearly 18 months old.

"And you have guilt. You love me too, and Billy, equally. How can you love a woman and love two young men, all so deeply? Well, my love, you just can. It's what you do."

"If I told you that I am in love with you, every day, would they eventually just be words?"

"Would they be just words to you?"

"No. They would be good words, and feelings. They would be my oxygen."

"As they are mine."

"I am in love with you, Skip. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Beyond that, there is no life. Only in the moments I'm in."

"I am in love with you, Aaron. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Beyond that, there is no life. Only in the moments I'm in."

He kissed me. I let him part my lips, gently putting his tongue against my lips.

"Why do you love me?"

"You firmly put yourself into my life, the day we met. You are a nice person, good to anyone who needs you. You love my brother. You love me. You are in love with both of us. Only one special somebody could ever be in love with two people sincerely, and so brilliantly. My parents love you because you love their children. I love you because you can make love to my one testicle, and not be grossed out. I love you because I thought you might die. It would not be bearable, eventually. I would ache as you ache for Kate. I love you because you, Aaron J Langille, are not only firmly in my life, but you are in my heart, until I die, and far beyond."

I teared up. The words were so beautiful to hear. I had expected something nice, but not that nice. He did not think about his answer, at all, for even one second. It flowed from his lips as if every word were gospel, as if he carried every word with him every day. He held me as I cried. He kissed my tears.

"I do carry every word with me every day," he said.

"How do you do that?" I asked.

"We belong to each other. You are my heart, and my soul."

"I love you, so much. I can't . . ."

"Sshhhh, that's all I need to hear. You're my bud."

We held each other for another hour. Billy had gone out to get dessert for dinner.

"We need a vacation before Billy and I go back to school. We didn't work this summer because we didn't want to, or need to. We both put money into a special joint savings account. It has $2400 in it. We want to take you out to the Cape with us, the week before school starts."

"We'll have to make love on the beach, at night, under the stars."

"Awww man!" he joked.

"And we'll have to make love by the fireplace, and in a soapy bathtub, and on the back porch at dawn."

Mom was one of the world's great cooks. She cared, too, so who was I to complain? I had gone out to buy new jeans when I could wear jeans again. I fit into a size 26, down from a size 34, with room to spare. Skip liked the fit because he could stand behind me and slide his hands easily down inside them to play with my cock. Or he could slide he hands down my ass inside the jeans, and poke at my hole. Skip was very practical.

Billy lay behind me, wrapped his arms around my chest, and kissed my neck. Skip moved in to kiss Billy. He loved that Billy loved me, and him. Billy held us both. We lay there for a long while, just holding on. All the unspoken fears remained unspoken. There was only love to think about, and to live.

We bathed together in my bathroom. Billy had brought three more roses from his mom's house, red ones this time. They sat in a small vase on the countertop beside three white, lighted candles. It was romantic, so we made love, slowly. Skip was inside me. Billy was inside Skip. The rhythm was long and slow. The water was getting a bit cool. It was still nice, and enough to set Skip off. He filled my tight hole with his creamy cum. Billy came inside of Skip at the same time. They lay against me until their cocks slipped out of asses.

In the kitchen, we ate blueberry muffins and drank cups of dark rich coffee. I poured OJ for us all. We took it outside. Both boys looked at me conspiratorially.

"Uh oh. What are you two up to?"

"Did you come, when we did, in the bath?"

"No. I don't exactly feel a need to keep up with you two."

"That's not fair. We should all come when we're together."

"Says who?" I asked, smirking.

"Says us," Skip said.

He got down on his knees on one side of me while Billy knelt on my other side. Skip unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans. Billy pulled them off. They took turns sucking my cock. Billy moved me to the edge of my chair and got into my hole with his tongue. He ate my balls and my hole. I held my legs up while they shared my cock, balls, and hole.

"Geez, guys, that feels so good. Remind me never to argue with you. You know best."

"You like that?" asked Billy.

"Keep it up and I'll show you how much I like it."

"No problem."

He went down on my hard cock while Skip moved down to my balls. He finger fucked my hole, and then went back in with his tongue. When he went back in with his finger, he gently swiped his finger over my joy buzzer.

"You ready to come?" he asked.

"Close. Mmmm, yeah, make me come, guys."

Billy swallowed my cock while Skip massaged my prostate. It took another minute to make me shoot a load into Billy's hot mouth. He swallowed twice and then quickly gave my cock to Skip. Skip swallowed the rest of my cream. He sucked me completely dry and cleaned up my cock until it was shiny wet.

"Thanks guys," I said when I started coming back to Earth. "Sweet."

"Yeah, you are, in every meaning of the word, love," said Skip, licking cum from his lips.

Billy held my head close to him a minute longer as he kissed me. Skip hugged me close for a couple more minutes.

The guys put my jeans back on me, and Billy zipped and buttoned them. He patted my crotch.

In order to take a break from my townhouse, we moved to Skip's for half the week, and to Billy's the other half. Each townhouse, though similar on the exterior, has its own character on the inside. We did each have one new thing, thanks to JD, who had accepted my joke `wish list' last year. He found a deep need to keep busy when I was in DC. He never doubted that Andrew would bring me home, even if it took a few months. He used that time to put three fireplaces in each of our townhouses. Betsy called him a man possessed, but he did beautiful detail work.

He and Betsy did the planning, and a bit of furniture rearranging. There was now a fireplace in our finished basements. It connected upstairs to the living room, and further up to the master bedroom. Each fireplace had a stylish mantle, fitting into our styles. I'm contemporary in taste, so mine was painted a crisp black. It tied in with other elements in the rooms. Betsy had contributed traditional candles on one side and a scented Yankee Candle jar on the other. She gave me a catalog so I could order according to the season. Billy's mantles were creamy white, standing out against darker paint in his rooms. Skip's were made of a rich cherry.

There was another bonus in the works, which I knew about, but the boys did not. JD was installing crown molding in every room and painting ceilings as appropriate, instead of the basic white that we all had. The dining room chandeliers would also be fitted with medallions. Our homes, said the couple, were to be unique, like we were, but homey and comforting, like we were. We boys would have our crown molding as a Christmas gift. JD would install them while we were away.

We had as fine a dinner with JD and Betsy as we'd ever had. This was our first meal, all together, since I arrived home. The kitchen, thankfully large, was like a restaurant kitchen. JD was grilling on the Jenn-Air. I made the salad. The boys kept the stovetop activity going. The lamb in the oven was just heaven. Betsy was putting the finishing touches on a coconut layer cake.

We ate outside, enjoying the cricket and frog symphony in the early evening. The moon rose over the eastern horizon as we ate dessert and had coffee. When we cleaned up, which we boys insisted on doing, Betsy packed leftovers to send home with us. We would have them at Skip's place this week. We each got hugs, from both parents, and gave them hugs in return. I sure did love the folks. They loved me equal to how they loved their sons. By age, I was more a brother to them, but because the boys and I were three, and the folks accepted that, then I was son as well. It felt nice to be around people who did not scold, or freak, or judge. They care only that their sons held the capacity for great love, and that they could make a difference. Helping to pull me back to life counted for both.

On the next to last Saturday, we boys drove out to Cape Cod. We settled into a cottage in Truro. The brothers would not let me chip in, so I told them I would provide all the groceries for the week. They were okay with that.

I loved the Cape. It was my favorite place to be, only because I could not afford to live there all year. It was special, like my love for the brothers. We changed into swim trunks and walked down to the edge of the beach. It was about 50 yards off the back porch. The water was cool, but pleasant. Before long, we were further out in the water, throwing each other into the waves, and laughing like schoolboys. When we had enough of that, we lay on the sand, letting the sun warm us up. There were sailboats playing around the horizon. As the air cooled, we went back to the house, rinsing off under the outdoor showerhead. We had left a clean pair of shorts on the porch railing so we would not track water through the house. We made a late lunch, which we ate on the front porch. We chose this little town on the Cape because it was relatively quiet.

Later, under moonlight, we went back to the beach, and hid away in a sand dune. We lay in each other's arms. Moonlight was for romance, not fucking. We built a small fire and then we kissed and held each other, lying on sleeping bags that we would sleep in overnight, out in the fresh air. I lay on my back. Skip and Billy each lie half on top of me. We shared kisses for a long time while listening to the surf come onto the beach. We were in jeans and hooded sweatshirts. As we each got sleepy, we zipped two sleeping bags together and climbed inside. I loved being in the middle, naturally, so I spooned Billy while Skip spooned me. I held one of Skip's hands and one of Billy's. We slept soundly until sunrise.

I was being kissed when I woke. I opened my eyes and found that Skip still sleeping. I smiled up at Billy and kissed him in return. Skip woke a couple of minutes later and joined us in sharing kisses. He unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans, stroked my cock to full hardness, and then moved down to suck me.

"Hey bro, how's Aaron's cock taste?" asked Billy.

"Mmmm, good. Want some?"

Billy looked at me, lust in his eyes. Who was I do deny a young man's lust? I nodded. He went down on my cock as Skip ate my balls and fingered my ass.

"Fuck me, bud," I said to Skip.

He turned me on my side a bit. In an instant, he was inside me. He found a nice smooth rhythm, fucking me long and deep. My cock just got harder, which pleased Billy. He slid down on my cock with each inward thrust of Skip's cock. They stayed in perfect rhythm until Skip unloaded inside my tight hole and I unloaded in Billy's hot mouth. He gave me half of my load in a kiss.

I turned my ass toward Billy. He entered me in his usual one thrust. I loved him being inside me so much. Billy was so affectionate. Being fucked was not just being fucked; it was being loved sincerely. He held me just right. He was slow and easy inside my ass. He had long-dicking down to a science. Skip, of course, did all that, too, but Billy was . . .

"Smoother," said Skip.

Yeah. Smoother. Skip was not insulted. He and Billy were not the same in their love and sex, which is why I loved them both. After a few minutes, Billy got me up on all fours and slid inside me a little faster. He held my hips as the fucked my ass. Skip kissed Billy until Billy shot his cum deep inside of me.

"Okay, I'm well and truly fucked, in a good way."

"Bro, are you drained, like, completely?" Billy asked Skip.

"Oh yeah, bro. Aaron took all of my cum and then all of yours. Is he greedy or what?"

"Greedy," acknowledged Billy. "But I love being drained by our bro."

The boys kissed me lots. Our cocks and balls were finally sated.

We needed breakfast. We decided to drive to a diner that we had passed on the way here. We each ordered a large meal, and then traded off items. The waitress thought we were a riot. Of course we were, but it was nice that she shared our hijinks. We left our usual tip of 20%. I was a waiter when I was in college, working banquets mostly, so I knew how hard the job is.

The guys knew I have a deep love for lighthouses. Before we had left for the Cape, Skip had done a little Internet research on Cape Cod lights. Highland Light, here in Truro, was my favorite. We rode our rented bikes over and toured it after breakfast, and then drove up the Cape to Race Point. Later in the week, we would visit Wood's Hole and the Nobska Light.

We slept outside as many nights as we could. We had long lovemaking sessions in the dunes each night or very early in the morning. We made s'mores a couple of evenings that week, walked the beach every morning and evening, toured by bike every day, and ate only fresh seafood and produce.

The diner was our breakfast spot, with Maggie as our daily server. She knew we were going home after breakfast on Friday.

"See you next year, boys. Safe home!" she said, giving each of us a hug as we hugged her. "You're going to beat the cancer, right Aaron?"

"I am, Maggie. I promise. We'll see you next summer."

And so we would. We returned from the Cape on Friday, ahead of the traffic. The boys had to pack up for school, and I packed for Boston.

Saturday, naturally, was going to be our last `fling' of summer sex. We were awakening in Billy's bed just past 8:00 a.m. I, without much thought, lifted Billy's legs, lubed up my already hard cock, and slid inside him. Skip lubed up as well. I knew what he wanted to do. I fucked Billy for a few minutes. I pulled out and Skip slid inside his brother's tight ass. We alternated fucking Billy, wonder who would be the first to come. Skip creamed deep inside of Billy, pulled out, dropped his cock into Billy's mouth for cleanup, and I slipped my cock back inside, fucking him until I too unloaded. Billy also did cleanup duty on my dick.

We took a breakfast break. I made a Western omelet. Billy toasted English muffins, poured OJ, and brewed the coffee. Skip put bacon and home fries on the griddle.

On the last Sunday in August, Skip left for school again, west of Boston. Billy headed to school too, also west of Boston, though to a different college. Syracuse held no attraction for him because it meant being too far away from me. In-state tuition was half again as expensive as out-of-state tuition in New York, but money was not much of an issue.

He found a higher-rated program close to Boston. Events of the past year made him want to be nearby. He and Skip were now within an hour of my Boston apartment, and within 20 minutes of each other. He would be able to spend more weekends with me than Skip, but that's what Skip wanted. He had re-applied for his internship over the summer and been accepted.

I moved back into my Boston apartment on that Sunday as well, with Betsy and JD driving me in. We went out to lunch before they drove home. Betsy had made three large batches of brownies for us. Billy's had M&M's, Skip's had nuts, and mine were frosted. Scrawny ass, and all. Andrew and Claire would be in town again on Thursday.

Billy called me at 9:30 and Billy called me at 10:00. When we were apart, this would be the routine, each Sunday and Wednesday.

We had been back in Boston and surrounds for one month. I was on the phone one late evening with Skip.

"There's this really cute young man in . . ."

"Whaaat?" I said, cutting Skip off. We were on the phone.

"As I was saying, before my phone connection went nuts, there's this really cute young man in Boston that I'm so in love with. I miss him, a lot."

I giggled. "Oh. And the word on the street is that he misses you, a lot."

"Sounds to me like HE is the lucky one. You're a hunk and a half, so he feels very blessed. Seriously, I love you so much, and I miss you even more."

"Wow, that's a lot."

"My heart aches. Plus I'm a little sick from chemo. A fine pair of arms wrapped around me would go a long way to healing me."

"Hold on until Friday my love. I'm driving down to pick up Billy. We'll take the T into Boston. We'll be there before 5:00"

"You really can come this weekend?"

"Again and again."

"Sweet!"

"Yes, you are. I love you, Aaron."

"I love you, Skip."

He heard those words each night, just before he went to bed. It was a nice way to end the day.

I was already in bed, ready to sleep. The full moon shone through my window. I lay there while images of both boys filled my head. I sighed a peaceful contentment and then fell asleep.

I was in Andrew's office at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. He had made a minor adjustment to my chemo formula. I lay back on a lounge chair as he plugged me into the IV.

"The anti-nausea med should be ready by the end of the month, Aaron. Hang in, huh?"

"I can. I trust you with my life, Doc, so I'm okay."

He put a blanket over me. Chemo always made me cold. It would take up to two hours, so I dozed off.

When I woke up, Claire was sitting beside me, wiping my forehead with a cool cloth. Despite being cold, I also sweat. She smiled at me warmly. She reminded me of Kate Jackson, the actress. She may not be one of Charlie's Angels, but she sure was an angel in her own right.

I saw someone move behind her, coming into my field of vision. Yet another angel.

"Hello, love," he said, sitting down and taking my hand.

Claire kissed him on his cheek and then left the room.

"Hi my bud. Skipping out on classes again, I see."

"Nope. Done for the day. Only one class for the day tomorrow, so a friend will let me borrow notes next week. I turned in my paper a day early. Skip said you were sick last night. You should tell me, too, when you talk to me."

"I don't want either of you to worry. I didn't mean to mention it to Skip either, but he knew."

"Yeah, he's got that little psychic link down better than I do. I told him I'm skip class tomorrow and come to stay overnight with you.

"But, you . . ."

He put two fingers over my lips. "Yes, I should."

He kissed me. He put his forehead on mine and looked into my eyes. I could not ever look away from his. He is beautiful.

There was a light rap on the office door. Billy and I looked up at Doc, stepping in.

"You don't have to knock on your own office door, Andrew," Billy said.

"Professional courtesy. I also hate to interrupt a nice moment between you two."

"There are so many," he said, smiling.

"Good. Aaron needs those."

Billy kissed me, as he had done in front of Andrew and Claire before, when I was in the hospital. Neither minded at all.

"You ready to go home, Aaron?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah."

Billy took the blanket and folded it up, laying it on the lounge chair. He held me around my waist. Andrew handed me a Tupperware container of soup. Claire's famous tomato and basil soup, good for nausea.

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow. Claire and I have a morning session at 8:00."

"See you then. Billy, you call me if you need anything."

"I will. Thanks Andrew."

Billy walked me home, still holding me by my waist. A woman on the street near the hospital gave us a look. Billy took off my baseball cap, and showed her my chemo IV plug. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't judge, Miss. You might be wrong."

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

Billy nodded, smiling pleasantly.

Billy could embarrass the best of them. But he would not stoop lower than that.

"She might be right, too," I smiled.

"She thinks it's sexual."

"Okay then, she might be half right."

"One third, at best. My heart overrules my dick."

"Yes, but you are still a beautiful stud."

"Well, yeah, there is that," he smirked. "But I love you more than I lust you."

"Life is good!" I said, holding his waist tighter. We were almost home, thankfully.

Once home, Billy put the soup in the microwave. He made a PB&J sandwich for himself. I know he was hungrier than that, but if I could not eat much, neither would he. We ate at the coffee table, listening to a Journey CD. He lit the candles on the mantel before sitting down beside me. The rest of the room lights were off.

"A candlelit dinner with my bro. Nice," he said.

"Nice, indeed."

After we ate, he rinsed the dishes, leaving them in the sink for now. We sat in the oversized chair, snuggling. As usual, he had taken off our shirts, socks, and sneakers. Just jeans. He brushed his bare feet against mine, then wrapped his legs around mine, pulling me to him, kissing me occasionally as he looked into my eyes.

I spoiled the moment a while later. I had to be sick. When I was done, he wiped my face with a cool cloth. He kissed me and carried me back to the chair. We sat until bedtime, enjoying the candlelight and music. In bed, he pulled off my jeans, then his, and spooned behind me, holding me on this side of my life, as he could do so well.

"I love you, my bro. Sleep, okay?"

I did.

Friday morning—I felt Billy kissing me when I was almost awake. Hmmm, that's weird. Billy is behind me. Ahhh, the other love of my life. Skip smiled at me and kissed me again. Then he leaned over my shoulder and kissed Billy awake.

"Hey bro. When did you get here?"

"Just now. It's 5:30."

I looked at the window. It was dark.

"Which kind of 5:30?" Billy asked.

"The early kind," I said.

"Ah. Horny much, bro?" asked Billy.

"Nah, not horny, well, not yet anyway. I just want to hold my bros. I haven't seen you in two weeks."

"Do you want the middle?"

"Yeah," he said.

Billy and I made room. I spooned Skip and he spooned Billy. I whispered `I love you' into his ear. He passed it on to Billy. We lay quietly, falling back to sleep easily.

I woke first. Sunshine was streaming in. I loved the apartment most for its daylight. I knew the brothers were still sleeping, even without looking. Both were breathing slowly and steadily. I felt hot, as in having a fever. I needed some water because my throat hurt. Doc still had some adjusting to do for side effects.

"I'll get you some," whispered Skip, kissing me on my cheek. "Hmm, you are warm."

I just shook my head. I understood it, but it still amazed me. I disengaged from Billy carefully. Skip padded back across the floor with a glass of flat ginger ale. I kept some on the counter, like my mom used to do when I was sick as a kid. To this day, I cannot drink fizzy ginger ale.

He settled down in the big chair. I joined him. We watched Billy sleep. It was only 8:00.

At 9:00, my tummy growled. It woke Billy up.

"Oops," I said. "Sshhhh, go back to sleep."

"Nah. I'm good. I'm hungry, too."

We had fresh cranberry muffins from a bakery around the corner. The coffee was done brewing by the time Skip got back. Billy and I were still nekkid when Skip came back in. He shed his clothes.

"Informal breakfast," he joked.

"It wouldn't catch on at MacDonald's, but it's pretty nice here."

We showered after breakfast, separately. My shower was not big enough for even two of us, unless we were having sex, which we were not.

I knew a fellow warrior who was very sick. I promised I'd walk in the world for him each day, and then tell him everything I saw. He was only 16. He was not responding well to treatments. He was also very sick. We three walked up to MGH to visit him. I had already told him I would introduce him to Skip, so he'd have a success story to live by.

"Hi Aaron! I was just thinking about you," Michael said as we came into his room.

"Hi dude. I'm glad to be thought of. Did you have a good night?"

"Yeah. I'm finally sleeping all night. It makes a difference in how I fight. Are you Skip?" he asked, raising his hand to shake Skip's hand.

"I am. Hello Michael. Aaron says you're a real trooper."

"I'm trying, Skip. You're a survivor?"

"Yeah, about 2 years. You will be, too, soon enough."

"I believe it, because you do. I have surgery early next week."

"Are you okay about that?"

"No. Not yet."

"Awww, Michael. No worries, okay? You're going to be okay," I said.

"Yeah. But not today."

Skip and I sat and talked to Michael. We had no appointments; just a need to make sure his attitude was on straight. I put my arm across his back. He put his head on my shoulder.

"I do care about you, bud. Please know you are in good hands. Everybody who is responsible for you cares about you. It's not just surgery. It's about being well again, and you will be."

"I'm trying. What will Lauren think?"

"I dunno, man. There are no guarantees. I hope that she's going to love you every day. Talk to her and make sure she doesn't shut you out. Don't shut her out either. Don't get angry with her, though. Just talk. You need to be honest about how you feel."

"Easy for you to say. You've already been through surgery. You have too, right Skip?"

"Yes. And I'm fine, as you will be. Whatever you have to go through next week, you should be thinking ONLY about today. Put your full effort into today. That's the best anyone can do."

Michael's mom and dad came into his room. I suspect they had stood outside a moment. He looked at them, but kept his head on my shoulder. I kept my arm around his back. His eyes were wet. He would not let the tear go. He believed me, at least a little. I kissed him on his forehead. I pulled him closer to me.

His folks sat down but did not interrupt us. They knew about my cancer fight. I introduced them to Skip. They all shook hands. His mom smiled at me. She had obviously heard what I said as they came into the room. I gave Michael another kiss on his forehead and hugged him.

"We'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Skip said, touching Michael on the shoulder. "Talk this out with your folks. Don't hide your feelings from them, especially, okay?"

"Okay. I can do that. Thank you, too, Aaron."

Michael hugged us both. A shoulder touch was not going to do it today. I gave him a nice long hug. I kissed him on his cheek. He took off my baseball cap and kissed my head. He rubbed it, sort of like a crystal ball. He laughed heartily as did I, and then he replaced my cap. His parents could not help but to laugh with us.

"Love you, Aaron," he said sincerely.

"Love you, too, Michael. See you tomorrow."

"Sweet kid," Skip said. "What kind of cancer?"

"Same as you love, testicular. He sees you as his future self."

"Let's hope so. I definitely want to see him tomorrow before I have to leave."

Billy had waited outside. He didn't want to crowd Michael, but I would introduce them in the future. I wanted Michael to hear a brother's point of view, since he had a brother and a sister.

I kissed Skip on the forehead in a semi-private space. "That's just to show you I really do love you."

We went shopping so I could buy a couple new polo shirts that fit better. I do not spend a lot of money on clothes. I would keep my older clothes because I would probably fit into them again. For now, I really was too much underweight. I had actually lost eight more pounds, so I weighed in at 107. Andrew was working on a better plan.

We grabbed an early lunch at a soup and salad place in the Financial District. I used to eat there when I worked close by. From there, we walked to the Park Street Station T and took the Green Line to Copley. It was a beautifully clear day, so we went to the top of the Hancock Tower, 60 stories above Boston's Back Bay. Billy had not been here at all before. Skip had been once a couple years ago. I have been here several times, and once for a wedding reception. The view was spectacular. We sat in on a short presentation on the building of Boston from the time of the American Revolution. We peered at specific landmarks through fixed telescopes. We sat on tiered seats as they became available and just hung out, looking at the sunny day almost 360 degrees around.

After seeing the city from high above, we decided to spend the sunny afternoon at the edge of the Charles, across from MIT. We people watched and watched boaters of all varieties on the Charles. After semi-baking in the sun, we went shopping for groceries for dinner.

At home, we made a roast chicken, a couple of sides and a salad, and then made ice cream sundaes for dessert. That ought to go toward fattening me up a bit.

When dinner was over and we had cleaned up, we settled into bed to watch TV and to have sex. Skip and I pretended to be deeply involved in a program. We were on our knees beside each other, lying on our arms. Billy plowed our asses, first Skip's, then mine, trading off. On commercial breaks, we `acknowledged' Billy and kissed him. He was pumping into my tight ass. I felt him withdraw to the head of his cock and then plunge to his balls. He gave us each about three minutes each before switching between Skip and me. The program was ¾ done by the time Billy started breathing heavy.

"Okay guys, I'm gonna come soon. You want my load in your mouths?"

"Yeah," we said together. We lay on either side of Billy, with our faces below his balls. We each sucked one.

"I'm gonna come!"

He shot two ribbons into Skip's mouth. Skip quickly passed Billy's cock to me and I got three more shots and the honor of cleaning up his cock. He lay down, exhausted. We both lay partway on top of him and smothered him in kisses. Before long, we all fell asleep.

We went back to visit Michael on Sunday. His folks left us alone.

"Skip, can I, uh . . ." he fell silent, embarrassed.

"You can ask me anything, Michael."

"No, forget it. It's stupid."

"It's not stupid if you need to ask a question."

"I, um, wonder what I will look like . . . after."

"You want to see what it looks like, right, after the surgery?"

He nodded. He kept his eyes down.

Skip reached over to put his hand on Michael's shoulder. He lifted Michael's chin with his fingers, turning Michael to face him.

"Hey. Come on, bud, it's not a bad thing to ask. Of course I'll show you. You okay with that?"

He nodded, looking Skip in the eyes.

Skip pulled the drape around Michael's bed. I stepped back, giving them privacy.

"No, Aaron. You can stay. You've already seen it, right?"

"Yeah, I have. It's okay, Michael. If it bothers you, say so."

He nodded, looking over at Skip. Skip undid his cargo shorts, pushing them and his boxers below his testicle, holding them in place. Michael flinched a little, but then seemed to be okay. He reached out his hand and then pulled it back, afraid.

"I feel sorry for you, Skip. One ball. Why you?"

"I'll bite. Then I'll ask, `why you'. Do you deserve cancer and surgery?"

"Maybe."

"No, bud, you don't. No one does. Your body misfired somewhere along the way. This is not your penance for having done anything bad, ever. Do you understand that?"

He shook his head no. He did not understand. He kept looking back at Skip's testicle.

Skip stepped in, carefully. "You can look closer, or touch it. The scar isn't very big. You really should know what you're up against. Fear sucks, Michael, I know."

Michael touched Skip's testicle very gently. He felt it, compared to how his own felt to him. He looked at the scar carefully. He held his hand behind Skip's testicle and sac, framing it.

"You okay?" Skip asked Michael. "Does that scare you?"

"No. Not anymore. It's not so bad, is it?"

"You tell me, bud. What do YOU think about it?"

"It's not so bad. You're not a freak."

"Nope. Not by a long shot. You won't be either."

"But Lauren . . ."

"Lauren will accept you, or not. Aaron didn't reject me, you know. I play sports, and I still shower with my team. How do you think they feel? You play sports, right? How will you look in the shower to your teammates?"

"One ball short," he said, seriously, and then smiled.

"Exactly, one ball short."

"Can you still, uh, have sex? Can you get a hard-on?"

"Yes."

Michael looked surprised. He expected to be told he'd be half a man, or less.

"Will accept you, or not. You have to have the surgery, bud. You don't want to be dying, do you?"

"No," he said, eyes down again.

Skip raised his head again, gently. He put his hand behind Michael's head.

"I didn't say that to be cruel. It's the reality of testicular cancer. I had no choice. I could only hope that the person who loved me would love me the same as before."

He looked up at me. "You do, Aaron?"

He surprised me just a little. I looked at Skip.

"I do. I love him as my best friend, as a young man that I put firmly into my heart, and as a man who will not tell you something just to make you feel better. Look, bud, both of us care for you, too. No joke."

"It's not hard to figure you two out. If you love each other, be happy for that."

"Thanks bud. We do, and we are. I'll talk to you soon. Can you call me on Wednesday?"

"I can and will."

I gave Michael a hug as well. I would see him tomorrow or on Tuesday.

"You bring out the best in people, Aaron. A young kid like that knows that we love each other and thinks it is okay. God love him."

October came and went quickly. I saw Michael right after his surgery and each day after that until he went home. He sent me email often after that and to Skip as well. He talked to Skip weekly, on Wednesdays. He thanked Skip for showing him his testicle. His teammates called him OBS—One Ball Short. He said that when he and Lauren were ready to have their first time, he would feel okay. He was not ready yet, because of age, not shame. He thanked me for showing him how to be strong. He got his attitude on, and he was doing just fine. I had introduced him to Billy. That helped him deal with his brother better. Billy gave Michael tips on how to cure the embarrassment.

The only time we three were together this month was for the long Columbus Day holiday, the boys both having Monday and Tuesday off. After that, Billy continued to be at my place for my post-chemo sickness. He held me. He told me he did not want to make love while I was sick, so I should stop worrying about him. I worried anyway. We loved sex together. He held me and showed me he loved me no matter what.

One Friday night, when I felt normal again, I slid my cock into Billy's ass as I lay kissing him from behind. I lifted one leg and kissed it. It felt nice to be inside my bro, to fuck him and to love him. I gave him every inch, staying inside for short strokes or long-dicking him. I picked up my rhythm when I got close, shooting my cum deep inside of his tight ass. We kissed as I went soft, sliding out of him.

He entered me after putting my legs over his shoulders. He also short-stroked me and long-dicked me later. He lifted both my legs up, holding on to my ankles. He slid in and out of my pucker. Sometimes he pulled all the way out, entering me repeatedly. I could not compare Billy to Skip in how they fucked me, except that they both did it very well. My ass tingled, which made the rest of me feel so good. He did not bang me hard. He let me feel the full length of his cock. He pulled out and let me lick the pre-cum off his cock head. Then he slid back inside my hole, rocking on his knees.

"I'm close, love."

"In my mouth."

He pulled out and slid into my mouth. I sucked until the cum flowed, and then ate most of his load. When he was done, he lay beside me. I gave him some of his cum in a kiss. He lapped it up and swallowed.

"Mmmm, I taste pretty good, eh?"

"Sweet and salty. I love when you come in my mouth. I can taste you for a while after."

"You should come in my mouth more often. I do like it, too. Some guys think cum is gross. I guess it depends on your diet, which is why mine and yours are healthy."

"Well, schoolboy, your assignment, before bedtime, is to get another load down my throat. I'll do the same for you."

"Deal. Let's start now and beat the rush."

So, we kissed, sucked each other in a 69, poked each other's joy buzzers, sucked each other's balls, and sucked cock. He filled my mouth at the same time I filled his mouth. No trading cum this time. We swallowed, making a show of it. He opened his mouth to prove he swallowed my load. I did the same, though he knew I always swallowed his.

We sat in the big chair and watched TV, snuggling close. We dozed off and slept in the chair all night.

November – We had our first real Thanksgiving together, at home in New Hampshire. Andrew did only one chemo session the week of Thanksgiving, giving me much to be thankful for. JD and Betsy came to pick me up at a suburban Boston train station on Wednesday morning. Skip took public transit to Billy's college and then Billy drove home. We arrived a half-hour apart from each other. We slept at Skip's place on Wednesday night.

We were up at dawn on Thursday morning to help Betsy in the kitchen. Thanksgiving should always be a family affair. We made sure Betsy need to be concerned about the turkey and pies only. I had my mom's recipe for stuffing and dressing. Billy made a large salad and took care of the fresh cranberry sauce, not canned. Skip roasted sweet potatoes and made a better-than-classic green bean dish. JD grilled corn on the cob on the outdoor grill.

At the dinner table, food and wine flowed as freely as the conversation. They boys talked about classes and Skip's internship. We planned our business after his graduation and subsequent internships for Billy while he was in college. JD offered common sense business procedures for us, based on his own success. Betsy offered financial expertise, practical vs. Skip's theory of finance from his college courses.

After we cleaned up and loaded the dishwasher, we had pumpkin and apple pies in the living room, in front of the fire.

On Friday, we specifically avoided the "Black Friday" hype. We had done enough shopping through the year to keep any merchant happy. So we slept late and made love throughout the day instead, making each other happy.

December – I did not see the boys for two full weeks because of semester finals. They were each taking five classes. This would let them take a lighter load for the spring semester. That meant a lot of reading, papers, and exams to study for. They both called me each night.

Like Thanksgiving, we had our first real Christmas together. Before I went home, I went shopping downtown, and got a few console games for Michael. His parents had told me they were getting him the console when I conspired with them about something he'd like. I asked Andrew to ask his son what a boy his age would like for games. I bought those plus a couple more of the same genre for Michael. I had put my phone number in one of the wrapped gifts in case he could call me.

We three brought our gifts to share at the parent's house. We had chipped in and bought JD a tool cabinet from Sear's. Organization was not one of his finer points, so we helped that along a bit. We four bought Betsy a new PC and a notebook. While we were on vacation, we would help her transfer files.

I kept the boy's music libraries up to date. They got me clothes that fit my ass. Skip also bought me a black pair of my favorite boots, from Skecher. Earlier, when we had arrived at home, each of us found the crown moldings in every room of our townhouses. Skip and Billy were surprised and pleased. I was very pleased, not surprised, since JD had told me previously. He had put in a lot of work for us.

Christmas Day dinner was a repeat of Thanksgiving Day, including the kitchen symphony. We had ham instead of turkey. Betsy did more of the cooking since a ham was lower stress than a large turkey. I had put on those lost eight pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was back to 115. As far as Betsy was concerned, I was the proverbial Christmas goose—meant to be stuffed.

Michael did call Christmas night to thank me for the games. He said he could not have picked them out any better.

"You did great, Aaron. Leave it to you to think like a kid."

"Merry Christmas, Michael. I'm glad you're doing so well. That's a better gift by far. I hear I won't see you until early March."

"Yeah. I'm going back to school after the holiday, finally. I got my life back."

"Call me when you feel like it, okay?"

"I will. Love you, Aaron. Thanks for being my buddy."

"My pleasure, man. Love you, too. As long as you need me, I'll be your buddy. Take good care."

His mom got on the phone for a moment before we hung up. She said that I was a good man for being so good to Michael.

"You really made a difference. He wasn't afraid, and he always is so positive. Thank you, Aaron."

"Here's an address, for Skip. He is as much a friend to Michael as I am. He and Michael are the true testicular cancer warriors. Skip would love to hear what you just told me. Feel like sending him a note?"

"Consider it done. Merry Christmas, Aaron."

"Merry Christmas, ma'am. See you in a few weeks."

I hung up, smiling. Skip had heard what I said to Michael and his mom.

"So, he lives, huh?"

"And thrives. You done good, love."

There are too many Michael's out there. Maybe some of them are alone."

"We can reach as many as we can. It's what our business will be about. We agreed that we couldn't run a business for the sake of making money. We can find and support the warriors though. I think it's a good plan."

"It is. Mom and Dad are proud of the three of us."

"I'm ready for bed, guys. How about a little snuggling?"

"Yeah. The bedroom fire place needs its first tryout," said Skip.

He got a fire going. The glow of the fire and the warmth it made was a perfect mood setter.

"I want you inside me," I said to Skip.

He wasted no time. He was already hard. He knew I wanted to be fucked at the same time I did. I put Billy's hard cock in my mouth as Skip ate out my tight pucker and then entered my ass. I moaned as he fucked me, making Billy's cock vibrate from my own pleasure. The pre-cum flowed freely, and I licked it up. I sucked one ball into my mouth, rolling it all around. I released it and sucked the other into my mouth. I licked it and the sensitive underside of his balls. Skip slid in and out of my ass, moaning each time I clenched my hole tightly around his cock. I reached back and kissed him several times, as he fucked me deep. When he was ready to shoot, he pulled out of my ass and straddled my chest. He slid his cock into my mouth and unloaded a rich creamy cum load. I swallowed every drop as he shot continuous streams of cum. I sucked him dry and then cleaned up his cock. He went back inside me, fucked me again for a few minutes, and then unloaded inside my ass.

"Wow," he said. "Didn't think I was going to really do that. Thanks Dad, for whatever Italian genes you gave your boy."

"My turn," Billy said, getting Skip on his back and thrusting inside his brother's tight hole.

Skip turned his head sideways and sucked me to full hardness, eating my balls, fingering my hole. He moaned as Billy fucked him, so I knew why Billy loved the vibration effect of my mouth on his cock. It took a little doing, but Billy unloaded in Skip's tight ass as I shot ribbons of cum into his mouth. He made Billy yelp as he clenched his asshole as Billy tried to withdraw.

"Fuck me again, bro. I know you can."

Billy stayed hard, to his surprise, and began fucking again in earnest. He sure loved his brother's ass. He fucked him, raising one leg up, and kissing it, licking at the fine hairs. He pulled out when he was ready to come. He pushed his cock into my mouth and unloaded a sweet load. I thought about sharing it with Skip. Naah, it's mine.

"Well that was selfish," Skip joked.

"Yes. Yes it was."

"My turn," I said, climbing between Billy's legs, sliding into his tight ass in a single thrust. I started a smooth rhythm, long-dicking him. He and Skip kissed while I fucked him long and steady. My cock in my bro felt like Heaven on Earth. This was nice. I kept it up as long as I could.

"I'm gonna cum, guys! Want it?"

"Yeah," both said.

I pulled out of Billy's ass, giving Skip my first two shots of cum. Then I pulled out of his mouth and pushed my cock in Billy's waiting mouth. I unloaded the rest of my sweet creamy cum into his mouth. He sucked my cock until it slowly went down, cleaning it up.

"I'm drained," I declared.

"I'm full of cum," said Billy.

"Just the way we love you," said Skip.

We kissed for long minutes and then snuggled together. The fire slowly died as we slept, holding on for dear life to each other. Merry Christmas to us and, of course, God Bless Us Everyone.